Lentil Cottage Pie
Written by: Wilhelm Maree | Published on:
Warm, hearty, and packed with protein, this recipe—from the executive chef at 100 Princes Street in Edinburgh—happens to be vegan, but we’d wager it would satisfy any meat-lover, too.
Ingredients
For the lentil filling:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium brown onion, finely chopped
3 stalks celery, finely chopped
3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
1⁄2 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
1⁄2 teaspoon ground cumin seeds
1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste
1 heaping tablespoon plain flour
500 milliliters vegetable stock
250 grams cooked Puy lentils
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 heaping tablespoon apple jelly or chutney
11⁄2 level teaspoon sea salt
1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the mashed potato topping:
1 kilogram Maris Piper potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
100 grams plant butter
50 milliliters soy milk
11⁄2 teaspoon sea salt
1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions
For the lentil filling:
1. Cook the lentils according to the package directions. Set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan. Add the chopped onion, celery, carrot, and a pinch of salt.
Cook over low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring often to avoid the onion burning.
3. Once the onion has softened, add the ground coriander, ground cumin, and garlic and cook for a minute.
4. Then add the tomato paste and plain flour. Stir the paste and flour into the vegetables and cook for a minute or two.
5. Pour in the stock one ladle at a time, stirring the stock into the vegetable mixture each time. The sauce will be thick to start off and then will end up being slightly thin.
6. Add the cooked lentils to the stock and stir well. Add the soy sauce and apple jelly or chutney. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
7. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes, stirring often. After 15 minutes transfer to a casserole dish.
For the mashed potato topping:
1. Put the quartered potatoes into a saucepan. Cover with cold water and add a good pinch of salt. Bring the water to a boil then reduce to a fast simmer.
2. Cook until the potatoes are tender, then drain the potatoes.
3. Mash the potatoes until they are smooth and lump-free.
4. Add the soy milk and plant butter into the mashed potatoes and mix in well. Season with sea salt and black pepper.
To assemble the cottage pie:
1. Evenly spread out the lentil filling in the casserole dish. Spoon the mashed potatoes on top of the lentil filling until fully covered, using a fork to spread the potatoes evenly over the lentil filling.
2. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 30 to 35 minutes or until the topping is a light golden brown and the liquid is bubbling up at the edges.
3. Leave to cool slightly before serving.
Ingredients
For the lentil filling:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium brown onion, finely chopped
3 stalks celery, finely chopped
3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
1⁄2 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
1⁄2 teaspoon ground cumin seeds
1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste
1 heaping tablespoon plain flour
500 milliliters vegetable stock
250 grams cooked Puy lentils
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 heaping tablespoon apple jelly or chutney
11⁄2 level teaspoon sea salt
1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the mashed potato topping:
1 kilogram Maris Piper potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
100 grams plant butter
50 milliliters soy milk
11⁄2 teaspoon sea salt
1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper